The Great Library of Palanthas

Astinus' Office

Dominating the center of this room is a massive birch desk. Legend claims this desk has supported the thousands of volumes of history Astinus has recorded. A large pot of ink, a container of sharpened quills, and a candelabra complete the desks decorations. Small windows line the room, allowing light to trickle in and gently illuminate the entire room. A comfortable couch rests against the west wall. Tapestries hang on the walls between the windows. Shelves line the walls, filled with tomes of the more recent records of heroes and villians upon the face of Krynn.

The librarian notices you aren't reading anything...
Astinus hands a metal bound tome to an Aesthetic standing by you.
You note the spine bears the word 'Tarrian' scribed in grey ink.
As you glance down at the page you read..

From the pages of Tarrian's book..

Author: Tarrian
Date: Wed Mar 4 16:22:38 2009
Subject A small campfire...nothing more
"It's small. No one will be able to see it," the girl whispered, talking
to herself as she fed small twigs and leaves to the tongue of fire on the
ground. "I have to hide it. They won't understand if they find me this
time," she thought, shielding the small flame with her body.
Slowly the tongue of fire crept to life, still small, yet enough for what
the girl wanted. With little waste of motion, the girl bowed her head over
the flame, her lips moving in quiet prayer. She spread her arms slowly, as
though to embrace the flame, but remained a bit away from it so not to be
burnt. "Command me. I am your obedient servant," were the last words out of
her mouth as a nearby sound had the girl extinguishing the flame with dirt
and grass from the hole she had dug. She slowed her breathing to a steady,
quiet rhythm as she listened to what was around her. The shadow she feared
slowly moved away from her. She closed her eyes, hoping that she had been
able to hide effectively.
She waited for nearly an hour, not moving, listening. When she thought that
all was clear, she stood up and quietly moved back the direction she had
come from.
The village lay ahead of her and she quietly slipped back into her bedroom
and under the blankets. Again slowing her breathing, she drifted off to the
world where her dreams seemed to speak to her, giving her direction.
Author: Tarrian
Date: Mon Mar 30 03:25:28 2009
Subject In search of answers
The sleep was restful and definately needed. Tarrian pushed off the warm
blankets that she used as she slept and slowly rose from the bed she had
found refuge in and walked quietly to the door. She pushed it open and
peeked outside, looking for the two men who had rescued her. They were
nowhere to be seen, which she thought was a bit unusual. Wanting to look
more, she opened the door wide and stepped out into the hallway. She looked
one way down the hall, then turned to look the other when a guard with a red
sash over his shoulder and chest grabbed her arm.
"Who are you?" he demanded, the force of his grasp causing her to wince.
When she did not answer, he grabbed her other arm and gave her a fierce
shake. "I asked you a question," he said, the fierceness of his voice
causing her to try to pull away. "Where are the men who brought me here?"
she asked, her voice timid and meek. "Who are you?" the guard asked a third
time, shaking her again. "Tarrian," she murmured. "I was brought here by two
men, but I can't find them," she said, again trying to pull away from the
guard.
The guard released her arms, looking at her with a practiced gaze. "Who was
it that brought you here?" the guard asked. She shrugged her shoulders. "I
don't remember their names, but one of them had a wolf by his side," she
said, lowering her eyes. The guard snarled, again grabbing her arm. "Come
with me. The watch commander will want to hear about this," he said, pulling
her along behind him.
They walked through the strange halls of the keep, the guard pulling Tarrian
along with him. He stopped abrubtly at a well worn door, pounding on it with
his free hand. A muffled "Enter" was called from inside the room. The guard
pushed open the door and shoved Tarrian into the room, then followed her in.
He stopped, saluting the older man sitting at the desk. The man looked at
Tarrian. "Where did you find her?" he demanded, his eyes seeming to bore
into her. "In one of the spare rooms. She says that Dante brought her here
before he made the decision to turn his back on the Queen," the soldier
said, his eyes looking toward the stones behind the man. The man nodded,
waving his hand. The guard saluted briskly and exited the room, the boom of
the door seeming to sound terribly loud in Tarrian's ears.
The man stood and walked in front of Tarrian. "So, the traitor and his The
man stood and walked in front of Tarrian. "So, the traitor and his little
minion found you and forgot to take you with them when they snuck out like
villians," he said, his voice full of malice and hatred. "What's special
about you?" he asked, glaring at her. She shook her head. "I don't know what
they saw in me. I only know that they said I was like them in what I was
seeking," she said, drawing her hand together in front of her. The man
stepped forward, grabbing her upper arm. "What are you, girl?" the man
demanded. "I don't know," she said, trying to pull away. The man sneered.
"Well, I guess we'll just have to see exactly what you are made of," he
said, glaring at her.
Author: Tarrian
Date: Fri Apr 10 12:11:17 2009
Subject Learning
Still the air of speculation and untrust settled over Tarrian's head. She
had been brought to serve the Queen, then those who had seen potential in
her had left. Those names now haunted her. 'Dante brought her
here...traitor, ' seemed to repeat in her head. Shaking off the words, she
quietly left the room she had been assigned to and made her way down the
hallways toward the room that she seemed to spend most of her time in now.
The grizzled old cleric sat in an overstuffed chair, his head lolling from
side to side as he snored. Tarrian's knock at the door woke him and he
grumbled at her as she entered to continue learning what he could teach her.